Autumnal experiences in the Nossentiner/Schwinzer Heath

The Nossentiner/Schwinzer Heide Nature Park belongs to the family of National Natural Landscapes in MV, which includes three national parks and two biosphere reserves as well as the seven nature parks in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The special thing about the Nossentiner/Schwinzer Heide Nature Park is that, in addition to the vast forests of the heath - with 19,000 hectares, one of the largest contiguous forests in MV - and the almost 100 smaller and larger lakes, you can still experience an excellent starry sky and the darkness of the night. With only nine inhabitants per square kilometer, the nature park region is extremely sparsely populated and therefore offers the best conditions for lying under a dark starry sky without any significant light pollution. In addition, you can also observe the animals of the night, such as owls, night butterflies and bats, at specially set up and designated spots. The low population density has also preserved a high level of habitat and species diversity that no longer exists elsewhere.

The vast, tranquil forests invite you to hike, look for mushrooms and observe natural spectacles such as the rutting of the stags or the arrival of the northern bucks on their roosting grounds, even in the fall. There are five observation towers where you can watch the various species of wildlife. The Rothirsch observation tower in Sandhof is ideal for the deer rut, as the 600-hectare Serrahn moor begins right next to it. At the Seeadler viewpoint near Glave, on the other hand, you have an almost 100 percent guarantee of seeing the characteristic bird of the nature park, the white-tailed eagle. On the other hand, there are also the indescribably dark nights when you can admire the Geminids - the shooting stars from the constellation of Gemini - in mid-December, for example. With an average of 30 to 60 shooting stars per hour, there is nothing left to be desired.

Autumn is the mating season for many of our native bat species. Here in the nature park, you can hear the impressive singing of the males on guided night walks with bat detectors, which lure the females into the mating quarters. In addition, the winter roosts are flown to by the bats in preparation for hibernation and the arrival and departure of the bats at the entrance to the winter roosts can be observed under expert guidance at the large winter roosts.

We now have nine freely accessible stargazing sites where you can observe the stars on star loungers and equipped with information. Binoculars, star charts, red light lamps and telescopes can be borrowed. A leaflet on the location of the sites and their special features can be requested or downloaded from the website www.sternenpark-nossentiner-schwinzer-heide.de. In addition, the Karower Meiler now has a small permanent exhibition worth seeing on the topics of protecting the darkness of the night, light pollution and the effect of light on animals and us humans. In addition, trained and certified star guides now offer star tours all year round. For example, we offer to pick up guests from their hotel or vacation home in the star bus, our new electric minibus, take them to a stargazing site and give them explanations about the stars, provide them with culinary delights and bring them back to the hotel late in the evening. An event that does not exist elsewhere in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

It's a small bench on Lake Paschen, one of the very rare clear water lakes in the almost heavenly seclusion of the Wooster Heath. Here I can watch hunting ospreys or just enjoy the peace and quiet surrounded by nature.